Kazanluk - the region of roses and Thracian rulers
The town of Kazanluk is located in the gorgeous Valley of Roses at the foot of the Balkan Mountains. The natural geographical centre of Bulgaria is just here where the roads of domestic and international tourist routes cross each other. The town is at about 200 km. east of Sofia, 55 km. east of Karlovo, 48 km. south of Gabrovo and 75 km. west of Sliven. The nature here is a perfect combination of the beauty and majesty of the Balkan Mountains and the fertility of the Tundja river valley.

Centre of rose-growing and rose-oil manufacturing
The climate and the soils are favourable for rose, peppermint, lavender, sweet basil and marigold growing. For centuries the fragrant Bulgarian rose has been grown there and the attar of roses has been extracted. So, the geographical centre of Bulgaria turned into its essential oils production centre. Since the 19th century Kazanlak has been the centre of Bulgarian rose-growing and rose-oil manufacturing. Many people from all over the world associate Bulgaria with the fragrant rose of Kazanluk.

The Thracian tomb of Kazanluk
What this pretty town, nestled at the foot of the mountains, is most famous for is the Thracian tomb of Kazanluk. The tomb was excavated in 1944 and is one of the 9 cultural and historical sites in Bulgaria included in the UNESCO list of historical and architectural monuments of global importance. Up to then, the burial mound had been considered a natural elevation of the ground.

The tomb is situated in a mound near the town of Kazanluk. It consists of a lobby, a corridor and a dome. The system of ornaments in the corridor is complex and extremely interesting. The walls are covered with shining, fine plaster and a beautiful fresco.

Pavel Banya spa resort
The hot mineral springs of the region (located in the town of Pavel Banya and in the villages of Ovoshtnik and Yagoda) make the region more attractive for many tourists from home and abroad.

Shipka Memorial Church
Only 12 km north of Kazanluk, near the small town of Shipka, is the Shipka Memorial Church. It was erected after Bulgaria’s Liberation from Turkish rule as a monument to both Russian and Bulgarian soldiers that died in the fierce battles here. The golden domes and the green and pink coloured facade loom against the mountains and attract the attention of the travellers in the Shipka Pass.

Shipka National Museum Park is founded on the same area where the bloody battles of the Russian - Turkish Liberation War occurred during the 1870s. It represents a complex of memorial tablets, monuments, trenches, and bunkers reminiscent of the